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Final Report of the Lr 455 Special Committee to Create the Framework for a State Climate Action Plan

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Final Report of the Lr 455 Special Committee to Create the Framework for a State Climate Action Plan FINAL REPORT OF THE LR 455 SPECIAL COMMITTEE TO CREATE THE FRAMEWORK FOR A STATE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN Co-chairs Senator Ken Haar, District 21 Senator Tyson Larson, District 40 Committee Members Senator Ken Schilz, District 47 Senator Heath Mello, District 5 Senator John Stinner, District 48 Senator John Kuehn, District 38 Senator Patty Pansing-Brooks, District 28 1 Executive Summary A special committee was created by the adoption of LR 455 by the 2016 Legislature to examine issues related to a plan to address the impacts of climate change for Nebraska. Senators Ken Haar and Tyson Larson were the co-chairs. The other members were Senators Heath Mello, Ken Schilz, Patty Pansing-Brooks, John Stinner and John Kuehn. The primary charge of the committee was to create the framework for a climate action plan for the State of Nebraska. The committee’s work was based in large part on scientific research carried out by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). In 2014, UNL researchers created a report entitled “Understanding and Assessing Climate Change: Implications for Nebraska.” In 2015, eight roundtables were conducted as a follow up to that report. Both the UNL report and the report from the roundtables recommended a climate action plan for the state. The 2015 Nebraska Rural Poll found that 61 % of rural Nebraskans supported the creation of a climate plan. As the UNL report stated: “Action now is preferable and more cost-effective than reaction later.” The committee focused on certain issues with the intent of providing a basis for further legislative action. There was one recommendation which received universal support throughout the process, which was the need to create a climate action plan for the State of Nebraska. 2 Legislative Recommendations Adopted by the Committee Overarching recommendation, Adopted 7-0 Authorize a legislative climate planning committee to create an evidence-based, data-driven state climate action plan Further Recommendations for Legislation Expand PACE (described on page 4) authorization to include counties; make it easier for communities to create a PACE network; Adopted 7-0 Remove restriction that prevents Tesla from having a sales and service network in Nebraska; Adopted 7-0 Authorize wind friendly counties; Adopted 6-1 Authorize and standardize virtual net metering for community solar projects; Adopted 6-1 Authorize self-driving vehicles; Adopted 7-0 Recommendations for Study, Adopted 7-0 Change Department of Roads to Department of Transportation Incentives for agriculture to reduce carbon emissions, including: Carbon capture High value crops Industrial hemp Practices and technologies that reduce water and fertilizer use Methane capture Energy Optional statewide siting matrix for wind development State production tax credit for renewable energy Incentives for solar energy Reduce or simplify regulations related to renewable energy Future technologies Research next generation nuclear technologies Research viability of thorium reactors Incentives for battery storage Smart grid Study the following related to the Nebraska Environmental Trust: Potential changes to funding categories Ability to loan money Expedited block grants for well-established technologies Ability to fund major research projects 3 Summary of Research and Activities State Climate Action Plans Thirty-four states have adopted climate action plans as of 2016. They range from being very prescriptive, such as California, which sets goals for renewable energy and greenhouse gas emission reduction, to descriptive, such as Colorado, which describes risks and challenges from climate change and provides options for responding to them. Given Nebraska policy-makers’ historical opposition to mandates, it makes sense for our state plan to be descriptive, and to provide options for response. One of the fundamentals of the committee was to examine both risks and opportunities. For example, there are serious risks from the projected increase of extreme weather events such as floods and drought. Proper planning is needed to be able to reduce their impact. On the other hand, it is important to recognize the positive impacts from climate change. One purpose of a plan would be to develop policies that recognize resources which can be utilized to provide advantages that benefit Nebraska and its people. Committee Hearings The LR 455 Committee held 4 hearings on 5 topics. The first two hearings were held in Broken Bow and Lincoln on September 27th and 28th on the topics of energy financing, particularly PACE financing, and solar energy development. The third hearing was held in Lincoln on October 21st on climate action plans and greenhouse gas reduction strategies. The final hearing was held November 10th in Lincoln on the role of postsecondary education in climate planning. PACE Financing The primary focus of the energy financing hearing was on PACE, or Property Assessed Clean Energy. LB 1012, passed by the 2016 Legislature authorizes municipalities to create PACE programs. PACE is a funding mechanism that can be used by homeowners and businesses to invest in energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements which can be paid off by an assessment on the property. PACE has been successfully used in several other states. Many people want to reduce their energy bills through energy efficiency or renewable energy improvements but cannot afford the upfront costs. PACE provides a mechanism to overcome this problem. Two significant aspects of PACE financing that make it attractive: 1. Allowing the improvement to be paid through property taxes allows a longer term for paying off the costs, and 2. Many PACE programs utilize a one-stop 4 shop that takes care of financing, construction and billing in one process, eliminating many of the red tape challenges that discourage people from making such investments. At this point, no Nebraska municipality has begun a PACE program, although several have indicated interest. The primary recommendations related to PACE were to expand it so that counties may also utilize this mechanism and to make it easier for communities to join forces to create economies of scale. Solar Energy Development There is a great deal of interest in solar energy development in Nebraska. To date, there has been very little solar development in Nebraska in comparison to other states. At the end of 2015 there was approximately 1 MW total solar development in the state. By the end of 2016 there will be an increase of more than 6 MW, highlighted by the Lincoln Electric System’s 3.6 MW solar array and several projects in Custer County that total approximately 2 MW. Projects currently in the works are likely to increase the amount of solar development by more than 10 MW in 2017. Much of the interest in solar development has focused on community solar projects. The concept of virtual net metering, in which members of the community invest in a project and receive credits on their bills, was one of the ideas presented to the committee. Other suggestions included increasing the authorized capacity for net metering projects and reducing the red tape involved in financing renewable energy projects. Climate Action Plans One of the fundamentals of a climate action plan is establishing a baseline and benchmarks for action in order to assess progress. Conducting an inventory of greenhouse gas emissions is a typical preliminary step. Although there are greenhouse gas emissions reports from power plants, there are many other sources of emissions that need to be included for the state to understand how this issue can be addressed. Collecting data about climate history and trends in the state are also important for planning, including trends for air temperature, soil temperature, precipitation and soil moisture. Risk analysis is also a fundamental for good planning. For example, we have recently seen more frequent and severe rain events in Nebraska. Current assessments project an increase of such events. Proper planning to retain or channel flood waters can significantly reduce the damage from flooding. Similarly, the 2012 drought had a huge impact on the entire state. Droughts of this magnitude are projected to increase in both occurrence and severity. Proper planning can help mitigate the impacts of drought. Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Renewable energy and energy efficiency are generally considered the primary means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the power sector. Testimony at the hearing 5 focused on infrastructure projects that could be used to support energy developments with lower carbon footprints and electrifying the transportation sector. Since major infrastructure projects tend to be quite controversial, there is no attempt to summarize a single viewpoint on this issue. On the other hand, there is consistent strong public support for increasing investment in renewable energy, including more than 80 per cent support in the 2015 Rural Poll. Because more than one-fourth of emissions come from vehicles powered by petroleum based fuels, it makes sense to consider the potential of electric vehicles to reduce emissions. Testimony focused on the following: 1. Potential for the state and political subdivisions to save money by using electric vehicles because of significantly lower fuel and maintenance costs; and 2. Need to develop charging infrastructure for electric vehicles throughout the state, and for that infrastructure to represent the best technology available. The Volkswagen emissions settlement fund could be a funding
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